Newsletter-535-October-2015

No. 535 OCTOBER 2015 Edited by Vicki Baldwin

HADAS DIARY

**PLEASE NOTE***

HADAS CHRISTMAS PARTY 6TH
DECEMBER 2015

BOOKING FORM ENCLOSED

Tuesday 13th
October, 8pmScientific Methods in
Archaeology. Lecture by Dr. Caroline Cartwright. Caroline Cartwright’s primary areas of
scientific expertise cover the identification and interpretation of organics
such as wood, charcoal, fibres and other plant remains, shell, ivory and bone
from all areas and time periods in the British Museum’s collection.

Tuesday 10th
November, 8pmThe History of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Lecture by Keith Cunningham.

All the above events,
unless otherwise stated, will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly
Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, starting at 8pm, with
tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards.
Non-members are welcome (£1.00).
Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass nearby. Finchley Central Station (Northern Line) is a
short walk away.

A Visit to Mr Turner's
House Stewart
Wild

Few people are aware that in the leafy suburb of St
Margaret's, southwest London, there is a delightful house designed and built
for his own use by the great landscape painter J M W Turner, RA. That's partly because until about five years
ago, the property was in private hands, and although the house is now owned by
a charitable trust, it's rarely open to visitors.In 1807, at the age of 32, Turner bought two acres of
farmland on rising ground, about half a mile from the Thames and with views
northeast over the river to Richmond beyond.It backed onto a muddy lane called Sand Pit Close (now
Sandycoombe Road), and was built close to it, this being the highest part of
the estate. Turner was his own architect, his designs evolving through
many sketches in his notebooks.The
house was intended as a rural retreat from the pressures of his gallery and
studio in London's Harley Street, and also became the home of his father, a
recent widower, who kept house for him. From the time he bought the land in 1807 to the time he sold
the house in 1826, Turner explored and enjoyed the local landscape. He took his boat along the Thames, walked the
riverside paths, and climbed Richmond Hill with its famous view over "the
matchless vale".Turner loved fishing, and was often accompanied by his close
friend, the architect John Soane. Some
architectural features of Turner's house, like the cantilevered staircase and
oval rooflight, seem to have been influenced by Pitshanger Manor in Ealing,
Soane's own home that he had bought and rebuilt a few years earlier.Many of Turner's most famous paintings date from this time,
inspired by the Thames, notably Thomson's Aeolian Harp (1809) and England:
Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent'sBirthday (1819). (The Prince Regent’s official birthday, 23
April, was also Turner’s birthday, Shakespeare’s birthday, and St George’s
Day.) Mr Turner's house consists of a broad-eaved two-storey
cottage containing the drawing room and corridor, with single-storey wings each
side for the dining room and parlour, with kitchen, scullery and coal cellar in
the basement, plus what looks to me like a wine cellar under the stairs. Later alterations added a second storey to
each wing and a conservatory to the rear of the house.The estate is much smaller now. The garden at the back of the house has a
number of large trees, and these and subsequent housing development have rather
spoilt the views over the Thames.Used a private home for well over a century, Sandycoombe
Lodge was requisitioned in World War II as a 'shadow factory', making gloves
and uniforms for the RAF. The fabric of
the house may have suffered during this time, and refurbishing is clearly
needed (the house is currently on the Heritage at Risk register).In 1947 the house was purchased by Professor Harold
Livermore and his wife, who carried out some restoration and cherished the
property and its connections with Turner for over sixty years. On the Professor's death in 2010, the house
was bequeathed to the Sandycoombe Lodge Trust to be preserved "as a
monument to Turner in Twickenham".
A GLC Blue Plaque by the front door commemorates the link with the
famous painter.

If you'd like to visit, you'll need to be quick. The house will be open on Saturday 26 and
Sunday 27 September, 11am–5pm (free entry) and on Saturday 3 October, 2pm–5pm
(guided tour £4). That is it for this
year and next, for a programme of restoration and conservation means that the
house will be closed for at least the next eighteen months.Turner’s House Trust is leading a fascinating project to
restore the house to its original appearance, open it to visitors, and set up a
programme of activities to involve people of all ages. Following Stage 2 HLF funding of £1.4m in
January 2015, the project still needs to raise £290,000 to complete funding.The address is 40 Sandycoombe Road, St Margaret's,
Twickenham TW1 2NQ; St Margaret's station with frequent trains from Waterloo is
very close.

Further information (and excellent short video):

http://www.turnerintwickenham.org.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMme0CuYGAA

The story of Jessie John Hilton Roger Chapman

One source open to researchers of Middlesex history is that
of the Middlesex Military Service Appeal Tribunal 1916 -1918 which is held by
the National Archive and has recently been made available online. Most tribunal
records from the rest of the country were destroyed after the war by government
order so we are fortunate still to have these. One story to come out of this
source gives us an insight into First World War life on Clitterhouse farm where
HADAS carried out a dig earlier this year.i Jessie John Hilton was a single man aged 31 in 1916 employed
by the farmer, Richard Keevil, as a cowman and milker at Clitterhouse Farm. He
had worked at the farm for the previous 19 years and lived at The Cottage,
Clitterhouse Farm.ii During the First World War compulsory military service was
introduced. Appeals against this were heard by local appeals tribunals. One of
the 11,000 case papers from the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal held between 1916 and
1918 concerns the case of Jessie John Hilton. The tribunals heard appeals from
men who had previously applied to a local tribunal for exemption from
compulsory military service. The reasons provided by applicants were varied,
with applications made on moral grounds (conscientious objectors), on medical
grounds (disability), on family grounds (looking after dependents) and on
economic grounds (preserving a business). In Jessie’s case it was an appeal by
his employer on his behalf that eventually succeeded.iii Richard Keevil, the farmer of Clitterhouse farm, made the
first application for an ‘absolute’ exemption on Jessie Hinton’s behalf in
February 1916 on the ground that the “…principal
and usual occupation of the man is one of those included in the list of
occupations certified by Government Departments for exemption.”ivAt the local Hendon Urban Tribunal hearing
in April the application was refused because “The tribunal being of the opinion that the man can be replaced …”vRichard
Keevil, clearly not content with this decision immediately appealed. The result
was that in May 1916 the County Tribunal of Middlesex decided to overturn the
local Tribunal decision and decided that,
“… the man be exempted from being
called up for Military Service. The exemption is temporary for six months from
the 17th May 1916.”vi They concluded that Jessie’s occupation of
Cowman and Milker “… is one of the
certified occupations and that it is expedient in the National Interests that
he should continue in civil employment.” vii What job did Jessie John Hilton undertake to get such
support from his employer? The answer lies in the appeal statement made by
Richard Keevil which explains what was going on at Clitterhouse Farm in 1916
and the role that Jessie played. At the time there were 40 cows in full milk “… producing 10 quarts each per day
(average). Hilton milks 11 or 12 each morning and night also feeds, cleans out
and does necessary work with them. Excepting the head man, who has hay to cart
for these cows and 10 horses and cart grains meal cake to and from London, I
have only 2 old men over 63 years of age to help with the cows and farm work of
over 100 acres also 23 more cattle outside.” viii Keevil goes on to bemoan the “…loss of one cowman last week to the colours also one married man from
the dairy.” He also claims to have
given an ‘incorrect impression’ to
the previous Tribunal about the spreading of 200 tons of manure which he had been
unable to get on the ground through “…want of labour and weather conditions…”.
Keevil had been asked if he would get Hilton to spread the manure and he had
said “…yes if needed in the middle of the
day when the cows rested..” giving the impression that he was using Hilton
to spread the manure when in fact it could not be put on the land until the
next season. On another issue Hilton when asked by the earlier Tribunal what he
did during the day had said ”…he had been
in the field with the horses…” which was correct but Keevil pointed out
that this was the first day he had been able to do the land rolling with the
horses and heavy roller – it usually being done six weeks earlier because the
“… old men are quite incapable of doing
the work.”ix

What happened six months later when the temporary exemption
period ended? In November 1916 another Tribunal hearing was held at the
Guildhall, Westminster which both Hilton and Keevil had to attend. On 25th
November the Tribunal issued its decision and this time round Hilton was
exempted from Military service “…conditional
upon the man being engaged in a certified occupation.”x

The habit of leaving graffiti
is not a modern one. These two pictures
appear to indicate that a certain ‘WP’
visited Breamore in 1694 and Minstead in 1738. I wonder how many other places ‘WP’ defaced
with a ‘tag’ between these dates?

Cromer Road Excavation and Survey Report 2015 Bill Bass

The dig took place
8th-12th June on a public green area bordered by Cromer
Road and Shaftesbury Avenue, New Barnet, Herts, EN5 5HT. Grid ref TQ 25994 96482 the site code
is CRS14 (2015). The site is opposite Cromer Road School where we dug in 2014.

For background
info please see the Cromer Road School article in HADAS Newsletter 524 and
Melvyn Dresner’s article in Newsletter 533.

Whilst digging at
the school in 2014 we noticed a strong set of ‘parch-marks’ out on the green.
Local enquiries told that this building (now demolished) had been known as the
‘blood bank’ (National Blood Transfusion Service), however, this was not the
full story. The parch-marks were noted on aerial-photographs and from further
research the building itself could be seen on a series of other
aerial-photographs (i.e. 1946 RAF). A resistivity survey was undertaken which
confirmed the ‘T’ shaped structure which was approximately 30.00m NS x 12.00m
EW (main building block). The photos and survey also point to other
outbuildings, open sheds and a very high resistance rectangular area to east of
the main building.

Two trenches were
opened-up and a programme of local walks and fieldwork techniques were provided
for the primary school children of Cromer Road School.

Trench 1

This 3.00 x 1.00m
was opened over a ‘T’ shape junction of the building and was used mainly for
the young students to get some experience of excavation. Immediately, mortared
brick footings began to appear (at 66.06m OD), pale-red stock bricks laid in
English-Bond style these included footings of the main (dog-leg) wall of the
structure and other external walls. The trench was not bottomed or the
foundation seen but six courses of the brick footings were excavated. The
footings were surrounded by context [002] topsoil excavated in parts to a depth
of 0.68m. Evidence for light-weight roofing material (left in-situ) was seen at
the bottom of the trench indicating the ‘lean-to’ and shed nature of some of
the external building. A concrete floor level (65.99 OD) may have been reached
in the SE corner of the trench, with some further brick footing perhaps forming
internal walling.

Trench 1 finds.

Throughout trench
1 contexts, there were small amounts of bottle and window glass, small amounts
of post-medieval earthenware (Transfer Printed Ware, Stoneware, Tinglaze) and
porcelain pottery. Small amounts of roof slate, and corroded iron fittings.
There was more in the way of red-tile – 82 sherds from all trench 1 contexts. A
fair amount of brick and concrete rubble was excavated from the trench, this
was not quantified but some was retained as samples and recorded.

Several small
yellow glass spheres, possibly connected with a ‘giving-set’ as above.

Trench 2

This was placed
over the strong rectangular (7.00 x 3.00m) signal seen in the resistivity
survey and also seen in the parch-marks, this indicated a high resistance –
something hard and solid. Deturfing of the 3.00 x 1.00m trench soon revealed
the main NS wall (66.07 OD), with some bricks impressed - of interest are
the bricks stamped with 'LBC', 'PHORPRES' and '10'. These bricks are Flettons
made by the London Brick Company. The PHORPRES refers to the method of
manufacture where the bricks were pressed four ways which was formulated in the
late 19th century. The 10 refers to either a kiln number, or a site number -
there were many LBC sites, including those in Buckinghamshire and
Cambridgeshire. This type of brick ceased manufacture in 1974 (D Cooper – pers
comm.).

The demolition
fill consisted of a compact sandy/gravelly context [005] with much demolition
rubble including brick, tile and hefty lumps of concrete. Excavation of [005]
to the west of the wall uncovered a concrete ‘threshold’ leading to 2 rendered
steps leading down to a smooth concrete floor (65.66 OD) of a shallow
sub-basement or chamber, a depth of only 0.41m from threshold to floor, what
was going on? There was also a less substantial EW single line brick wall to
the south of the trench, probably a partition wall.

Some quick
research by Melvyn seemed to show we were digging in an air-locked room that
was part of a Gas Decontamination and Cleansing Centre (see below). As we
excavated through the rubble to the floor other finds began to emerge. A number
of heavily corroded small metal-boxes were found on the floor of the chamber
together with electrical lamp fitting and the corroded frame from an item of
furniture. An iron-pipe was found running NE-SW across the chamber slightly
suspended above the floor, the SW end was open, the NE continuing into the
baulk. The use of this pipe is a mystery, it also cuts across the bottom step
at an angle, and somebody made a neat job to accommodate it. This pipe clearly
post-dates the building of the chamber.

To the west of NS
main wall, the trench was excavated down through the topsoil and sandy pebbly
clay which contained several pieces of brick rubble and some large sections of
concrete with surface finishing, probably floor or ceiling sections. Natural
was encountered at approx. 0.60m below turf level. The main wall footings
consisted of 5 mortared courses laid in English Bond style resting on plinth of
bricks dug into the surface of the natural.

Trench 2 finds.

Throughout the
trench 2 contexts there were small amounts of bottle and window glass, small
amounts of earthenware and porcelain pottery. Small amounts of roof slate,
red-tile and corroded iron fittings. As in Trench 1 samples of building
material were taken but not quantified.

The earliest
object found was the Mesolithic flint bladelet. “Can be described as part of a
crested bladelet because of the little flake scars running down one side. From its
size, it certainly looks typically Mesolithic but in the absence of any other
Meso material it cannot be proven.” (M Stewart – pers comm.).

The site lies on
the Hertfordshire side adjacent to the old County Boundary between
Hertfordshire and Middlesex, a footpath currently follows the route. Maps
indicate this area of New Barnet was relatively undeveloped in the late
Victorian period being of open fields (Landmark Information Group, 1860s and
Godfrey Edition maps 1898, Monken Hadley). By 1910 the lines of Cromer Road and
Shaftesbury Road had become extant. The indications are that although nearby
housing was developed by this period, the ‘green’ where our site is located
seems never to have been built on pre the late 1930s.

As with the Cromer
Road School dig in 2014, there is a scatter of red-tile, small amounts of 17th-19th
century pottery and c1800 clay-pipe finds. These could be the signs of previous
farming activities and/or demolition in the nearby area or possible
foot-traffic along the boundary route or part of the soil brought in to
backfill and level the area in the 1970s.

Gas Decontamination Centre (GDC)

These were built
in numbers around London in the event of a gas attack. We have a reference to
several National Blood Transfusion Service Depots being “amalgamated in High
Barnet in a converted decontamination centre” in 1946 (Welcome Library ref:
SA/HHC/Q North London), although there is no direct reference to Cromer Road,
it must be highly likely that this is the site. Put together with the plan of our
structure, the single storey and flat roof, and also the distinctive shape of
the tower containing a water tank and possible chimney, we quickly realised
what we were dealing with – the air-lock and foundations of the tower.

A 1937
aerial-photo shows no sign of the building, but it appears by 1946
aerial-photos. Many of these civil-defence structures were built (some in
weeks) in the period1939-1940, others were converted from schools, public baths
and health centres. Although these GDCs came in a variety of shapes and sizes
they usually followed more or less the same model – A Ministry of Health
Circular of 1940 states: “The essential features are that the decontamination
section consists of four units for each sex, i) Outside stripping shed, ii)
Inside undressing room, iii) washing or shower room, iv) Dressing room. The
object is to prevent the spread of gas vapour from unit (i) onwards and each
four compartments need to be sealed off from each other”. There would have been
provisions for office admin, loos and waiting areas etc., other facilities
included the burning or boiling of contaminated clothes, also there would be
entry and exit access around the building for ambulances/vehicles and the like.
Adjacent to 21 Shaftesbury Road there is still a kerb-ramp leading to the
‘green’ which must be one of the entry/exit drives (see plan). Much of the GDC
info above originates from a Heritage Statement written by Compass Archaeology
for the redevelopment of a former GDC at Furze Lodge, Shooters Hill, south London.
It is summarised by ‘hilly’ at http://e-shootershill.co.uk/gas-decontamination-centre-conversion/

The GDCs were
never used in practice and some were converted to other uses – first aid post,
air-raid shelters etc. As mentioned above the Cromer Road building was taken
over in 1946 if not before by the National Blood Transfusion Service. On the
floor of the air-lock chamber were scattered a number of small metal-boxes, archive
photos show these as containing a mixture of needles, glass syringes, tubing,
holed-washers, connectors etc. Although our metal-boxes were empty but we
believe we have found some of the type of contents that would have been in
them. In some cases these were known as ‘giving-sets’ for replacement therapy
and for dispensing plasma and blood products. They are shown being packaged
with tinned-blood and dried plasma units to be delivered and used in the field
(see Melvyn’s article below). The chamber also contained domestic lighting
equipment and possible fittings of a fold-down chair or bed, had this been
converted into a small surgery?

In 1952 National
Blood Transfusion Service depot moved to Edgware and Colindale, the subsequent
use of the building is unclear, maybe a store. We have some photos taken in the
NE corner classroom of Cromer Road School in 1968, this shows principally class
activities but through the window can be glimpsed the western side of the GDC
on Shaftesbury Avenue, an entrance door can be seen (main office entrance?)
together with the water-tower and short chimney on the eastern side. These are
the only ground level photos we know of at present. Maps indicate the GDC
structure may have been still standing in the early 1970s.

We found empty tins and other fragments (gauze, rubber,
glass) at Cromer Road School dig that link us to the story of blood transfusion
and war: a story vital to understand the ingredients of victory are not just
superior firepower: living people win wars. The collection of blood in
preparation for war begun 3 days before the war started by a telegram: START
BLEEDING sent by the Medical Research Council to Dr Jane Vaughan in 1939. Vaughan had championed the idea of blood
banks in face of political scepticism. She was working at Hammersmith Hospital
and held meetings to promote the idea at her flat in Bloomsbury and lobby
government.

The science of blood transfusion and its storage was in
its infancy in 1939. The Medical Research Council had begun research in the
1920s and the army service were organised in 1938. MRC built its research
centre in Mill Hill in the 1930s though during the war it was as a depot for
Women’s Royal Naval Service. In the 1920s, the British Red Cross organised the
first volunteer blood donors’ transfusion direct to patient in 1921. It was
expertise learnt during the Spanish Civil War that led to the creation of blood
banks.

Republican Dr Duran-Jordan had set up blood banks in
Barcelona during the civil war. Franco’s
nationalist forces defeated these Republicans in 1939. Duran-Jordan took refuge
in London working with Vaughan at Hammersmith Hospital. This inspired her
setting up 4 Blood Supply Depots on the periphery of London following the
‘START BLEEDING’ telegram. The Luton and Slough depots were merged on the
Cromer Road site after the war before being transferred to Edgware Hospital in
1952 where it remained until 1989. Vaughan
worked at Slough depot during the war covering North West London and later as
Principal at Somerville College, Oxford where she taught Margaret Thatcher and
Shirley Williams and published over 100 scientific papers.

Brigadier Whitby speaking to the Royal Society of Arts
during 1945 explained how much individual donors were giving, some 50 pints
each and over 2,000 giving 10 pints, and one person giving 100 pints during the
war years; an average person holds 7 pints in their body at any one time.

The role of blood depots was both supply and scientific
discovery. They adapted milk bottles to collect blood. The MRC bottle, or
‘Janet Vaughan’, had a narrow waist and an aluminium screw cap lined with a
soft rubber disc. To collect and move blood around they adapted Walls Ice Cream
vans. The army had 15 mobile units led by (mainly) female medical officers.
These units collected 70-90 pints per day and 300 during emergencies. The
British Medical Journal in 1943 said that the Army Blood Transfusion Service
was unique among Allies and Axis armies.
According to Whitby: “It is as
well to remember that the whole service rests upon the support of the general
public, which has been given in full measure.”

The Wellcome Library
(SA/HHC: Harrison-Howell Blood Transfusion Collection) includes archives
related to the National Blood Transfusion Service and Army Blood Supply Depot
including the file on North London mentioned above.

Wednesday 18th November, 6pmGresham College at
Museum of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN. Envy of
Kings: The Guildhall of London & The Power of the Medieval
Corporation. Talk by Simon Thurley
on the architectural patronage of the City’s Lord Mayors from earliest times to
the present. Free.

Wednesday 18th November, 7.30pm Willesden Local
History Society, St. Mary’s Church Hall, Neasden Lane NW10 2TS (near
Magistrates’ Court). Frederick Augustus Wood. Talk by Margaret Pratt (Sec) & Cliff
Wadsworth (Pres). F. A. Wood was one of
the founding fathers of modern Willesden and the most prolific history
researcher of the old borough.